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My New Skin Care Secret for 2015: Olive Oil!

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As a little girl, I was adopted into an Italian-American family. I used to see my grandmother every Sunday, and we used to do a lot of baking. she used to tell me not to rinse my hands after using the olive oil.

“It’s good for your skin,” she’d say, rubbing it into her hands.

Turns out Grandma was onto something.

Olive oil is a spectacular ingredient. Produced from the pressing of whole olives, olive oil has been shown in many studies to have beneficial properties ranging from UV protective (CarcinogenesisToxicology) to anti-carcinogenic (The Lancet Oncology).

What makes olive oil so special is that it includes resveratrol, a natural protector of cellular activity; squalene, a natural hydrating agent; as well as three classes of distinct protective antioxidant polyphenols (simple phenols, secoridoids, and lignans).

Unlike many other skin care ingredients, olive oil is beneficial when ingested and when topically applied. [Read More: Tomatoes, Lemons, Olive Oil, and More: Are They Food, Skin Care, or Both?]

Is Olive Oil Safe?

So long as you are not allergic, yes.

According to a 1997 study in Contact Dermatitis, olive oil is a very weak irritant, but bears relevant irritating properties when applied to patients with eczema and certain circulatory issues.

Which Type of Olive Oil is the Best?

All of the aforementioned studies used “extra virgin olive oil” in their studies.

According to Wikipedia, extra virgin olive oil comes from “the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.”

What are the Best Olive Oil-Containing Products?

1.) Olivella Bar Soap ($2.79, Olivellaline.com)

Olivella Bar Soap

Most of the time, I avoid bar soaps like the plague. Most bar soaps have a high pH and few moisturizing ingredients, leaving your skin depleted of certain hydrating lipids and proteins, so you you experience uncomfortable “after-wash tightness”, including dryness, redness, irritation, and even skin breakage.

But this isn’t most of the time.

Olivella Bar Soap contains just four ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil, which is hydrating, skin softening, and antioxidant; water; olive oil-derived glycerin, which is hydrating and skin-softening; and fragrance.

Olivella Bar Soap

The bar soap is gentle and perfect for dry, normal/dry, normal, and sensitive skin types. It has a scent during use that might be strong for some people, but I found it to be fine. Despite the fact that it is free from most detergents, it lathers well on the skin, and leaves it feeling smooth. It does not leave a soapy residue.

I really like Olivella Bar Soap, and would recommend it to just about anyone.

Ingredients: SODIUM OLIVATE (SAPONIFIED VIRGIN OLIVE OIL), AQUA (WATER), GLYCERIN (FROM VIRGIN OLIVE OIL), PARFUM (FRAGRANCE)

2.) Olivella Face and Body Liquid Soap ($7.95, Olivellaline.com)

Olivella Face and Body Liquid Soap

I used to have the rather pricey Williams-Sonoma hand and lotion set by my kitchen sink, but that was until I discovered Olivella Face and Body Liquid Soap.

This incredible olive oil-based cleanser contains extra virgin olive oil-based potassium olivate, along with some hydrating and cleansing ingredients:

  • Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate – a gentle detergent (Fine and Specialty Chemicals, 2001);
  • Sodium chloride – a cleansing agent (Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, 2004);
  • Citric acid – used to adjust the acidity of the product so it is more acidic and hence less disruptive to the skin;
  • BHT – preservative and antioxidant, in quite low concentration;
  • Tetrasodium EDTA – pH balancer, also in quite low concentration.

I really like Olivella Face and Body Liquid Soap in a gift basket with the moisturizer and/or lip balm. It’s like a treat every time you’re cleansing up the kitchen!

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER), POTASSIUM OLIVATE, SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, PARFUM (FRAGRANCE), CITRIC ACID, BHT, TETRASODIUM EDTA

3.) Olivella Cleansing Tissues ($7.99, Olivellaline.com)

Olivella Cleansing Tissues

When I was in grad school, I used Neutrogena Cleansing Wipes.

Then I started using Ole Henriksen Truth to Go Wipes.

And now that I’m out of school and getting older, I have a strict cleansing regimen that does not include wipes most nights. But when I find that I’m in a rush, in a pinch, heading out the door — whatever, you know how it is! — I turn to Olivella Cleansing Tissues. These wipes contain some highly hydrating and skin-beneficial ingredients like olive oil (of course), vitamin E, vitamin B5, and glycerin.

Olivella Cleansing Tissues leave the skin soft and smooth. They take off most makeup and leave the skin primed for further moisturization. Skin feels fresh and clean. I recommend them for all but the most oily or acne-prone of skin types.

The fact they contain a touch of citrus fruit extract leads me to state you should use them in conjunction with a broad-spectrum sunscreen, though the concentration of fruit extract is significantly low, so you might be OK without it.

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER),GLYCERIN, OLUS, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, POLYGLYCERYL-2 DIPOLYHYDROXYSTEARATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE, FRAGRANZA, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL, POLYAMINOPROPYL BIGUANIDE, GLYCERYL OLEATE, DICAPRYLYL CARBONATE, BENZOIC ACID, PANTHENOL, COCOGLYCERIDES, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CITRUS MEDICA LIMONUM (LEMON) FRUIT EXTRACT, CENTAUREA CYANUS FLOWER EXTRACT, GINKGO BILOBA LEAF EXTRACT, PANAX GINSENG ROOT EXTRACT, CAMELIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT.

4.)  Olivella Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hand Cream ($9.95, Olivellaline.com)

Olivella Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hand Cream

My hands get so cold and chapped in the winter months, but this hand cream is the best solution I’ve found. It contains a plethora of great ingredients, including two forms of olive oil (the olive oil and unsaponifiables), vitamin C, vitamin E, and hydrating glycerin. It feels great on the skin and absorbs fairly well.

Olivella Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hand Cream

Olivella Extra Virgin Olive Oil Hand Cream

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER), OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) FRUIT OIL, GLYCERIN, CETEARYL OLIVATE, SORBITAN OLIVATE, HYDROGENATED OLIVE OIL, GLYCERYL LINOLEATE, GLYCERYL LINOLENATE, CITRUS AURANTIUM (ORANGE) DULCIS PEEL OIL, LAVANDULA ANGUSTIFOLIA (LAVENDER) OIL, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) OIL UNSAPONIFIABLES, XANTHAN GUM, LECITHIN, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, TOCOPHEROL, CITRIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for an ingredient to boost your skin care, check out olive oil. It is one of the few all-natural ingredients that has been shown to have efficacy that outrivals many hydrating synthetic ingredients out there!

If you’re looking for olive oil-based products, I highly recommend the Olivella line, especially for cleansers and hydrating lotions and creams. The line has been one of my favorites for years, and I can’t say enough great stuff about it!

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